The Tire Wear Thread

[CapriRacer]

Please post your experience with your LAST set of tires. Not this set (they aren't done yet!) - the one before. I'll explain below why I started this thread.

Did they wear evenly? Center wear, shoulder wear, alignment wear?

Brand? Did that play a role in your results?

What about vehicle? Was that a factor?

How about OEM vs replacement?

Did you use the placard pressure or something else? Did that play a role in the wear?

Just tell me what happened - good, bad, or indifferent!!

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Why am I starting this thread? As many of you know I'm an engineer with a major tire manufacturer. I work in the warranty end of the business, so all I see are returns. Not only is this a tiny fraction of the tires produced, I only see what MY company produced.

I want to be sure I have my head screwed on straight about what NORMALLY happens to tires - and I am asking you guys to help. What I am interested in is your experience. There is no right or wrong answer - just responses.

So fire away!

 

[Smoky14]

Michelin MXV4+: Wore even, rotated between4-6K. These were OEM on a 99 Acura CL. Normally ran them 3PSI above the door sticker as I like the way it handled. I changed them with only 56K miles as they were 8 yrs old.
I really liked the tires and replaced them with Premicy MXV4 which are working well.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Dunlop SP Sport Maxx on my 530i. I got about 20K miles out of them.


Did they wear evenly? Center wear, shoulder wear, alignment wear?
- inner shoulder wear on rear tires, as can be expected due to fairly aggressive alignment on this car. The tires were rotated a couple of times.


Brand? Did that play a role in your results?
- Not really. It's just an alignment issue, I think. Although, I had an alignment redone when I replaced these Dunlops with a new set of Bridgestones, and surprisingly after about 21K miles on the B'stones, the rear wear is very even. Maybe the BMW dealer used less aggressive camber figures this time, although I didn't ask for it.


What about vehicle? Was that a factor?
- yup. Typical BMW negative camber on the rear.

How about OEM vs replacement?
- When I bought the car used, the OEM tires that were on it looked unevenly worn at the rear, too.

Did you use the placard pressure or something else? Did that play a role in the wear?
- Fairly close to placard pressure.

Just tell me what happened - good, bad, or indifferent!!
- The Dunlops were also a flatspotting h_e_l_l. However, since neither TireRack nor Goodyear/Dunlop would take them back, claiming it was a "feature", I just learned to live with it. Current B'Stones flatpot a little as well, but not nearly as bad. Maybe it's something about this car and how sensitive its steering is that makes flatspotting very evident.

 

[Strakes]

Last set: Continental Extreme Contact DWS.
Wore out just under 25000 miles. Wore evenly, a little more wear in the center than the shoulders by 1/32 of an inch. No alignment issues. Aligned when tires were installed. Tires rotated every 5000 miles.
Vehicle was a factor in my opinion. Mazda MPV Minivan: high center of gravity, large & heavy.
OEM Dunlops wore out super fast too.
OEM placarded pressure always. 35 PSI. Don't think that played a roll on fast wear. I think a minivan is typically used to run errands, pick up kids, all the motions of driving to and from school, in and out of parking spaces, stop and go in the suburbs may have played a roll in the quick demise of both OEM and replacement tires.
Continental prorated the tires under warranty without question. As a company, they made it right. Now I have Michelin Primacy MXV4...as the tire shop said that particular tire, in their opinion, wears better on minivans.

 

[tomcat27]

Epic Tours on a Grand Caravan. (I did not purchase them, car dealer put them on) vibrated like crazy - could not get rid of the shake. replaced after 1 year and 13k miles when I just could not take it anymore! placard pressure.

Falkens on a Dodge Intrepid. dry rot in 3 years; tread wear was even but almost gone at 28k miles. Previous OEM Goodyears lasted over 40k. placard pressure

Chrysler Sebring - Michelins OEM - 80k miles. even tread wear. placcard pressure.

 

[oggb]

Brand - Kumho Solus KH21

Vehicle - Hyundai XG350L driven like a maniac by a 20-something woman. Very heavy front-driven mainly in city traffic and city streets.

Wear - Outside sidewall worn to threads while inside tread somewhat passable. Got 20k out of the fronts, rears look to have another 10k or so in them.

OEM vs replacement - OEM Tires for this car are $$$ and the wear from those was no better.

Tire pressure - Who knows? This was a friends car and I'd always nag them that their front tires looked low. Now they're shelling out $250 for two new front tires to pass inspection.

 

[oggb]

Brand - Fuzion ZRi (high performance summer)

Vehicle - Subaru WRX

Wear - Insides of front and rear tires wore unevenly but that's due to the factory alignment and my driving style. These tires were on the car for almost 30k and they were incredibly grippy the entire time.

OEM vs replacement - OEM tires for this car are absolute junk.

Tire pressure - door placard says 32 psi, I generally ran them at 42-44 psi.

What happened? Loved 'em, but wanted a true "all-season" tire so I ended up buying ContiExtremContact DWSs. Nowhere near as good in the dry but awesome in the rain and snow. Don't notice much difference in ride. Steering is little mushier.

Was very pleased with the wear and handling of these tires. I'd buy another set as my "summer" set in a heartbeat, especially considering their price.

 

[Colt45ws]

Brand - General Exclaim UHP

Vehicle - 2004 Ford Crown Vic LX

Wear - Mostly even with the exception of the inside shoulder wear due to poor alignment. Got about 20K out of them. I was very rough with them though.

OEM vs replacement - Replacement in non-stock size. 255/45R18

Tire pressure - Started at 40 then when I discovered load tables I corrected it to 32/34 based off factory pressure. Towards the end I ran 34/34 for better handling based on fact that PIs run same pressure F/R.

 

[Kestas]

My Michelin touring tires were replaced last week after 50K/11 years service on my 91 Marquis. Alignment looks good, tires were rotated maybe once or twice. They were aftermarket tires bought at Costco. Things I noted:

- the tires had the expected amount of dry rot after 11 years, not pretty but not horrible.
- the tires had roughly 1/4 of the tread left.
- the tires wore slightly more at the crown. I kept them inflated 35-40 psi for their life. Otherwise they wore evenly.
- the tires had good balance and smooth ride during service.

My 02 Volvo had an original set of Continental ContiTouringContact tires that had to be replaced after 40K/four years (per date code) because of horrible and dangerous dry rot.

My 98 Escort ZX2 had a set of econo Kumho tires that served well for 2 years/35K miles before they wore out. They were kept at 35 psi and rotated only once.

 

[97f150]

The last set of tires on my Ram were Peerless Baja Widetrack H/T in size 265/70/17. They were replaced with just a bit over 35,000 miles on them and 9/32 left, they were a bit over 2 years old. They wore even, were quiet, and handled well. I ran them 5 psi over the 35 psi listed on the placard. Tires had a max psi of 44. I replaced them because I leveled the truck and put 33" Nitto Terra Grapplers on the truck.

The last set that came off of my wifes F150 were Continental AmeriTracs in the 245/65/17 flavor. This is the rubber that was on the truck when I bought it a year and a half before replacing so I have no clue on what mileage was on them or psi ran before. I ran them at 40 psi, placard suggested 35 and sidewall max was 50. They were 4 years old and worn evenly and had still 7/32 when replaced. They were replaced because they were literally dry rotting from the inside out and had ZERO traction PERIOD, wet or dry and it had been that way from the day we bought the truck. I figured at first this was just a quirk of the truck, boy was I wrong. They were ultimately replaced after a string of flats with no explained reason and influenced by the decision of my company to replace sets of Continental tires on 3 trucks due to tread separation. I put a set of Yokohama Geolandars on it and have never been happier with the truck or felt better about the safety of my wife.

 

[mechtech2]

Tire pressure is #1'
Alignment is #2
Rotation is #3
Get these bad boys in order, and your tire life and performance will be extended, for sure.

 

[HTSS_TR]

Honda S2000
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Did they wear evenly? Center wear, shoulder wear, alignment wear?
Front and rear wear evenly.

Brand? Did that play a role in your results?
Falken FK-452. Rear lasted a little longer than OEM, about 15k miles instead of 12k miles for OEM. OEM front lasted about 20-21k miles, I expect Falken will be around 25-26k miles.

What about vehicle? Was that a factor?
Yes.

How about OEM vs replacement?
OEM didn't last as long as aftermarket, but performmance/handling was better.

Did you use the placard pressure or something else? Did that play a role in the wear?
I had front at 38-40PSI and 34PSI on the rear, placard is 32 front and rear. Yes, higher PSI seems to increase tread life a little, especially the front.

 

[NateDN10]

On my Cobalt I'm on the 2nd set, so I'll be reviewing the OE Continental TouringContact. They lasted about 30,000 miles.

Did they wear evenly? Center wear, shoulder wear, alignment wear?
Yes. I rotated them every 6 - 8,000 miles.

Brand? Did that play a role in your results?
Well, OE tires tend to be soft, so I assume that's why they didn't last too long.

What about vehicle? Was that a factor?
It's a base Cobalt. Not a performance vehicle by any stretch.

How about OEM vs replacement?
OEM.

Did you use the placard pressure or something else? Did that play a role in the wear?
Placard suggests 32 psi, I kept them at 32-35.

 

[PandaBear]

Acura Integra 195-60-14, 32psi (2-3 above placard):

Dunlop SPA2 (non plus): never really worn out, 5 out of 8 die in the highway or parking lot and are not repairable (overheat trying to pull to the side, nail near the sidewall, etc, at around 60k), 2 still on the car with 2/32 and minor cracks (60k all around and another 55k in the rear only), 1 thrown away just in case after the blowouts. wear out the inner shoulder first (looks like camber wear).

Bridgestone HP50: 2 on the front duty only, lasted 55k at 3-4/32, worn inner shoulder at near 0/32 and 2/32 but 4/32 on the outer. Some noise, but if you rotate every 3k it seems ok.

Not much difference between OEM vs aftermarket in all but traction.




Corolla (175 65 14), at 30psi (placard) :

Wynstar Phaser R23 (T rated Chinese tire): great value and great traction compare to the OEM Goodyear Invictor, not too much fuel economy lost, lasted 50k and worn the outer shoulder as well.

The car has positive camber due to bad driving.




IS250 front (225 40 18), at 38psi (placard):

OEM Bridgestone Turenza ER33: traction is decent, fuel economy is good, lasted 32k and replaced at 4/32 overall and the toe eats the inner shoulder down to 0/32. Comfortable and quiet (similar to the current Kumho LX platinum).

 

[eljefino]

2000 Saturn SL1

Kumho 732s in 195/60/15 on SL2 rims

Kept them on the front, rotated side-to side. Wore out in 25k miles. Load rating was way overkill for a 2350 lb car.

Alignment was goofy. Driver's front tire wore out the inside, leaving the outside at 5/32 or so. Camber/toe issue. Other three tires wore evenly, despite attempts to equalize the damage by rotating.

Ran 33-35 PSI. Placard says 30 F, 26 R.

I have not bought any new, or even matching, tires since these.

I must have fixed the alignment when I did a wheel bearing on that hub, as subsequent tires are wearing evenly.

 

[Dominic]

Michelin Pilot Sport A/S Plus P205/55R16
Subaru 2.5i
The tires wore evenly until about 4/32" and 35,000 miles, when suddenly they became very out-of-round. The shocks on the car are fine, however the tires developed a ripple in them that made them appear cupped, and this contributed to a poor ride quality.
The OEM tires (Bridgestone RE92A) wore much faster and were replaced in only 28,000 miles. Horrible traction with the OEM tires after 5/32" in the wet/snow.
I tend to run my tires at 3-5psi above placard pressure, it doesn't seem to affect the wear, but it does help with fuel economy, handling, and ride quality.

I ended up replacing the Michelins with a set of (free) Dunlop SP SPort 01A tires for now. I was very disappointed in the Michelins due to their cost. $160/tire they shouldn't become rippled. They have been good but being a summer tire they tend to wear quickly. After 13,000 miles they're at 7/32" -- so I predict a total lifespan of no more than 40,000 miles before replacement.

For the record I rotate, balance, feel, and keep an eye on my tires like a hawk

I even watch other tires in the parking lots and identify them based on their tread and try to count how many people have underinflated tires as I walk into any store.

 

[CapriRacer]

Thanks, guys.

Keep it coming:

::Johnny5 voice:: Input! Input!

 

[mechtech2]

OK. A few more observations...
Running the tires a few lbs over the door sticker seems to be best.
You are not contradicting any engineers or studies - the door sticker is a good COMPROMISE, not a NASA spec.

And once again, alignment is HUGE.
Only 1/8" of excess toe in/out is 55 ft of sideways scrubbing per mile!
[Note that some static toe is necessary so the dynamic/moving toe is zero'ed]

 

[Pop_Rivit]

Sumitomo Grand Touring tires purchased at Big O Tires.

They've been on the car since March of 2010 and now have just over 20,000 miles on them. They are wearing fair, but are the most horrid tire I've ever owned. I made the mistake of buying a cheap tire on a 4 for 3 price deal because I planned to sell the car, but then changed my mind and kept the car. They'll be done in a couple of days; I ordered new tires on Saturday and will have them installed by mid-week.

Wear-the tires probably have 40% or less tread left. I could probably go further on these tires, but I'm weary of the noise and vibration from them.

Brand-it didn't play a role, but if I would have known I'd keep the car it would have and I'd never have purchased these.

It's the OEM size.

Pressure-I run them about 3# over the door placard.

These tires currently grumble and howl at any speed, and the tread pattern, after wearing a while, vibrates the entire car. The only positive feature of the Sumitomo tires is the winter traction, which has been outstanding. Other than that they were a poor investment on my part, and a gaffe that I'll never again make.

 

[Stu_Rock]

I have only ever had one set of tires that I had for their entire lifetime. They were Goodyear Regatta 2 tires on a 1995 Buick Century wagon from 2002-2005, and they wore evenly over 3 years and 40,000 mi. I replaced at 4/32 in tread depth, and the vehicle's alignment was always good. I remember that one of them was really unbalanced toward the end. I always ran those tires at 32 psi, which was 2 psi above the placard.

All other tires I have replaced came with used cars. They all were pretty evenly worn.

My 1/2 ton Dodge van came to me with some evenly worn Cooper Discoverer Radial LT tires. It was a fleet vehicle, so I figure tire pressure was Chrysler spec (35 psi front, 41 psi rear). Toe was badly off when I got the van (can't remember if in or out).

My Peugeot 505 came with a quarter inch play in both tie rods, one wobbly wheel bearing, and one completely blown strut. Yet its private label version of Goodyear Integrity tires were pretty evenly worn. Who knows what the tire pressure was. Peugeot doesn't offer helpful guidance. There's no placard. When new, there were a dozen OE tires available for the 505, with different front/rear pressure specs for each type and size!

My Buick Park Avenue still had three of its OE Goodyear Eagle LS-H tires--all fairly evenly worn. The other was a brand new replacement of the same type (now it's my fullsize spare). There was a completely blown front strut on the car when I got it. Rear toe was way out; front was probably OK but I didn't check it before replacing the struts. The previous owner was an older woman; I figure the pressure was GM spec.

On my girlfriend's 2002 Civic, we replaced the OE Firestone FR690 tires in 2005 with plenty of tread because they had poor traction on both dry and wet roads. They were downright dangerous--hydroplaning would happen at absurdly low speeds. Tire pressure was Honda spec.